Electric Abdominal Belt Exercise

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Lexa W. Lee

Published:

08 July, 2011

Electrical abdominal belts stimulate the muscles of the abdomen to contract and release, thereby giving them a passive workout without any exercise by the user. They can help tone and strengthen muscles as well as decrease abdominal girth somewhat. However, users should not expect any miracles from them.

Pros and Cons

EMS belts can be of significant benefit to those unable to do regular abdominal exercise like crunches. They can help rehabilitate, strengthen and maintain the abdominal muscles. The current they produce is probably not powerful enough to benefit obese individuals, however. The belts can also be used by healthy individuals to tone their abdominal muscles as a supplement to their regular exercise programs, but they are not effective for weight loss regimens.

Lexa W. Lee is a New Orleans-based writer with more than 20 years of experience. She has contributed to "Central Nervous System News" and the "Journal of Naturopathic Medicine," as well as several online publications. Lee holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Reed College, a naturopathic medical degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and served as a postdoctoral researcher in immunology.